Ewwwww! Are Apple Store iPads Covered in Icky Germs?

NY Daily Times News Investigation turns up icky results from swab tests performed on Apple's popular iPad. The anxious mobs of people checking out the ipad at Apple stores are allegedly leaving something unpleasant behind.

Daily Times reporters visited the flagship Apple store in Midtown Manhattan on 5th Avenue and the store in the Meatpacking District on 14th Street. They secretly used medical swabs at each location to collect samples from the touch screens of demo iPads in both stores. Later the swabs were sent to a lab for testing. Here are the results according to the Daily Times:

"One sample, collected at the 14th St. store, contained Staphylococcus aureus, the most common cause of staph infections, which can lead to an array of ailments, from minor skin infection to meningitis. "

"A sample taken in the Fifth Ave. location registered Candida parapsilosis, a type of yeast, and Corynebacterium minutissimum, a bacteria commonly associated with skin rash. Both can cause infections, especially in people with weak immune systems or pre-existing conditions. "

The Daily Times asked Apple spokesperson Amy Bessette about all this and she replied, "We clean our products and our stores regularly throughout the day and we are committed to creating a healthy environment for our customers."

Although this sounds terrible we don't think it is any worse than what we all encounter in our daily lives while at work, school, or play. Liberal amounts of hand washing or the use of disinfecting wipes will definitely help.

After reading this story we sat here wondering why no one has thought about this since Apple has been selling touch screen devices since 2007. It remains to be seen if Apple will change its stores to accomodate voluntary hand washing or have an Apple Specialist standing by with a squeegie. Maybe we'll see iPad case accessories that include a disinfecting wipes dispenser! Regardless of what happens we think we'll be less likely to share our iPads after this and the song "Germs" by Weird Al sums it all up!